Drillers Drop 2nd Straight to Travs
May 4, 2018 - Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Entering Thursday night's contest against the Arkansas Travelers, the Tulsa Drillers had not lost consecutive regular season games at ONEOK Field in over ten months. In a 1-1 game with little offense and few scoring chances from either side, the Travelers hung a crooked number on the Drillers in the top of the eighth and recorded a 9-1 win that ended the long and impressive streak.
Dennis Santana got the nod on the mound for the Drillers and cruised through his first two innings of work, tallying up four strikeouts. However, in the top of the third, Santana ran into trouble. After a single and two walks loaded the bases, Joey Curletta grounded out to bring home the first run of the game.
After the rocky inning, Santana found settled back in, retiring six of the last seven batters he faced in the fourth and fifth innings.
On the other side, the Drillers bats had trouble figuring out Arkansas starter Andrew Moore, who made 11 appearances in the majors with Seattle last season. Errol Robinson led off the bottom of the first with a single, and it took until the fifth inning for the Drillers to notch their second hit, but it was a big one. With one out, Will Smith unloaded a long home run that went halfway up the grass berm in left center. It was his third homer of the season and leveled the score at 1-1.
It remained tied until the top of the eighth. With Shea Spitzbarth on the bump out of the pen, the Travelers strung together five hits mixed with a pair of sacrifice flies.
Vinny Santarsiero replaced Spitzbarth and gave up a double that put Arkansas ahead 7-1. The six-run inning came to an end when Santarsiero got Seth Mejias-Brean to fly out.
Arkansas went on to add two more runs in the top of the ninth to extend their lead to 9-1. The Drillers were retired in order in the ninth and were handed their second consecutive loss at home for the first time in 2018.
WHAT YOU MISSED
*The last time the Drillers lost consecutive home games in the regular season was from July 17-19, 2017 in a three-game losing streak to Arkansas. That was also the last home series of previous Drillers manager Ryan Garko.
™s single in the bottom of the first gave him his fourth hit in the last two games.
*Nolan Long and Ariel Hernandez each had a scoreless inning out of the Drillers bullpen.
*Smith's home run was the 40th long ball hit by a Driller this season, the most in the Texas League.
*The Drillers three hits were a season low.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will look to split the four-game series with Arkansas as they wrap up the homestand on Friday night at 7:05 pm. The probable starting pitchers for are:
ARK Chase De Jong (2-1, 3.90 ERA)
TUL Caleb Ferguson (1-0, 0.42 E RA)
Texas League Stories from May 4, 2018
- Travs Settle for Split in Tulsa - Arkansas Travelers
- Cardinals Clobber Naturals, 9-1, in Road Trip Finale - Springfield Cardinals
- Prime Continues Hot Stretch But Riders Fall in Finale - Frisco RoughRiders
- Five-Run Fifth Dooms Naturals in Finale - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Rougned Odor to Begin Rehab with Riders Starting Saturday, May 5 - Frisco RoughRiders
- Drillers Bats, Ferguson Beat Travelers - Tulsa Drillers
- 8 Game Series against Naturals and Cardinals May 5 - 13 - Arkansas Travelers
- Eight-Run First Foils Hooks - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Sparkman Slows Springfield's Sticks in Naturals Win - Springfield Cardinals
- Moore Dominates and Offense Explodes Late for Win - Arkansas Travelers
- Riders Name 8 Millionth Fan Thursday Night - Frisco RoughRiders
- Beck Stays Hot But Riders Fall to Missions - Frisco RoughRiders
- Drillers Drop 2nd Straight to Travs - Tulsa Drillers
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